Matthew Warchus News

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre. Sponsored by the Evening Standard newspaper, this year's awards will be announced on November 20.

Fountain House, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental illness, last night hosted a staged reading of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, headlining celebrated actresses Joan Allen and Lauren Ambrose, with appearances by noted actor and screenwriter Dan Futterman and theatre, film and television actor David AaRon Baker. The one-night-only performance, based upon the acclaimed memoir by NPR'sJacki Lyden that recounts her experience growing up with a colorful and dramatic mother living with manic depression, drew a full house to the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, located at 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues in New York City. Lyden served as Narrator of the performance, which employed slides to illustrate the action. The evening benefitted Fountain House, with support from NPR. Check out a photo from the event below!

Fountain House, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental illness, will present a staged reading of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, with theatre, film and television actor David AaRon Baker.

Roman Polanski's upcoming God of Carnage features John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz in the movie version of Yasmina Reva's Tony-winning play. The film just debuted this summer at the Venice Film Festival (August 31- September 10) and opened the New York Film Festival on September 30. It's due to hit movie theatres in the United States on November 18, 2011. Check out the just-released trailer for the film below!

Fountain House, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental illness, released news today that the cast is now complete for a staged reading of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, with the addition of theatre, film and television actor David Aaron Baker. He will join previously announced headliners Joan Allen, Lauren Ambrose and Dan Futterman for the one-night-only performance based upon the acclaimed memoir by Jacki Lyden that recounts her experience growing up with a colorful and dramatic mother living with manic depression. The event will take place on Monday, October 17, 2011, from 6:30 to 10:00 pm, at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, located at 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues in New York City. Proceeds will benefit Fountain House, with support from NPR.

Voting in the 2011 BWW:UK Awards has been open for over a week now - and The Wizard of Oz and Much Ado About Nothing are leading the pack for the big prizes! Betty Blue Eyes is pushing the Palladium's spectacular hard in the musicals categories, though, and the National's much-acclaimed Frankenstein may yet overtake the Josie Rourke-directed Shakespeare revival.

Jonathan Coy, Janie Dee, Robert Glenister, Jamie Glover, Celia Imrie, Karl Johnson, Aisling Loftus, Amy Nuttall and Paul Ready have been cast in Michael Frayn's irresistible, multi-award-winning backstage comedy Noises Off, directed by Linsday Posner, which previews from 3 December, with a press night on 13 December 2011.

Fountain House, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental illness, released news today that noted actor and Academy-Award nominated screenwriter Dan Futterman will join celebrated actresses Joan Allen and Lauren Ambrose in the previously announced staged reading of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, the acclaimed memoir by Jacki Lyden that recounts her experience growing up with a colorful and dramatic mother living with manic depression. The one-night-only event will take place on Monday, October 17, 2011, from 6:30 to10:00 pm, at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, located at 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues in New York City. Proceeds will benefit Fountain House, with support from NPR.

Theatre Awards UK will be presented at a lunchtime ceremony at the Banqueting House, Whitehall, one of the five Historic Royal Palaces, on Sunday 30 October 2011.

Welcome to BroadwayWorld's newest feature, and first-ever talk show, BACKSTAGE WITH RICHARD RIDGE. Follow Richard as he visits Broadway's best and brightest in their Broadway dressing rooms to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know. You've seen Richard chat with Sipdey lovebirds Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano, and visit with UK's First Lady of musical Theatre, Elaine Paige. Today, Richard takes you downtown to the beloved West Village staple, the smokey Lucille Lortel Theatre, where he met up with everyone's favorite leading man, Jonathan Groff. Currently starring in MCC's THE SUBMISSION, Groff opens up about his BFF Lea Michele, getting comfortable in his role as working actor and 'pseudo' celebrity, playing a jerk, and why you REALLY should go see THE SUBMISSION.

It's official! Ghost The Musical, currently running in London's West End, will open on Broadway on Monday, April 23, 2012 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater (205 West 46th Street). Preview performances will begin in March.

The Theatrical Management Association (TMA) has announced the nominations for its Theatre Awards UK 2011.

The Royal Shakespeare Company's world premiere production of Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical will transfer to London's Cambridge Theatre, previewing from Tuesday 18 October. Bertie Carvel (Miss Trunchbull), Paul Kaye (Mr Wormwood) Josie Walker (Mrs Wormwood) and Lauren Ward (Miss Honey) will reprise their roles alongside Marc Antolin, Verity Bentham, Peter Howe, Michael Kent, Melanie La Barrie, Matthew Malthouse, Alastair Parker, Nick Searle and Emily Shaw who also appeared in the original production in Stratford. Click below to hear from the creative team on what to expect from the new show!

Fountain House, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental illness, today announced that celebrated actresses Joan Allen and Lauren Ambrose will star in a staged reading of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, the acclaimed memoir by Jacki Lyden that recounts her experience growing up with a colorful and dramatic mother living with manic depression. The one-night-only event will take place on Monday, October 17, 2011, from 6:30 to10:00 pm, at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, located at 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues in New York City. Proceeds will benefit Fountain House with support from NPR.

The Manhattan Theatre Club has announced full casting for the upcoming world premiere of CLOSE UP SPACE by Molly Smith Metzler, directed by Leigh Silverman. Joining the cast is Academy Award & Emmy Award nominee Rosie Perez (Fearless, The Ritz) as famous author 'Vanessa Finn Adams.' Completing the cast are Jessica DiGiovanni (Off-Broadway Debut) and Colby Minifie (The Pillowman, Landscape of the Body) as well as already announced Tony Award and four-time Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce ('Frasier', Curtains) and Obie Award winner Michael Chernus (The Aliens, In The Wake).

Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce has been cast in the Vineyard Theatre's Developmental Lab Production of THE LANDING (previously titled 'Andra') -- a collection of three related one-act musicals written by the celebrated composer John Kander and his new collaborator, Greg Pierce - to be directed by Scott Ellis, with David Loud as musical director, it has been announced by artistic director Douglas Aibel and co-artistic director Sarah Stern. THE LANDING will be presented in the spring of 2012 at The Vineyard (108 E. 15 St.).